Holding or attaching means for ear telephones, listening tubes, and similar devices for improving the hearing



n. 18 192 1514-937 7 Y a. LANGENBECK ET AL HOLDING 0R ATTACHING MEANS FOR EAR TELEPHONES, LISTENING TUBES, AND S IIILAR DEVICES FOX IMPROVING THE HEARING Filed Dec. 26, 1924 Patented Jan. 18, 1927.

UNITED STATES- PATENT OFFICE.

3mm!) LANGENBEGK, 01 mcnrnnrnnnn-wns'r, NEAR BERLIN, AND Aaron man, or PANKOW, NEAR BERLIN, enn nANx, ASSIGNOBS"T O snmnNs a msxn, Ax'nENeEsnLLscnArr, or srmm ssrAnr, NEAR BERLIN, GERMA Y, A

conronArroN or GERMANY.

HOLDING on. A'r'rAonINe mEANsron EAR TELEPHONES, LISTENING TUBES, AND

snnLAn DEVICES non IMPROVING :rnn HEARING.

Means of this kind suited to be fixed to the external organs of the ear have been known for a long time, but the known means leave much to be desired in re ard to reliability and comfort. The attac ment of the telephone to the ear was hitherto effected by introducing the olive into the outer portion of the auditory conduct, the telephone .or a tubular extension upon it being -frequently n bent so as to form a hook. It has also been proposed to employ special bows for the purpose, which pass externally around the shell of the ear in the mannerof the bow of a pair of spectacles. By all known arrange- IE ments however a disturbing and not altogether harmless pressure is exerted upon the adjacent arts of theear.

A furt er drawback of the known constructions consists in the necessity of manufacturing several sizes of the holding means on account of the varying-sizes of the human ears. It is also necessary to manufacture two forms of each size, one for the right and one for the left ear. A merchant dealing in. such articles will thus have to hold all sizes and forms in stock.

The drawbacks of the known construe tions are accordin to our invention avoided by combining with the miniature telephone, the listening tube or any other a aratus to be connected with the ear a ho dbr fitting closely into the shell of the earand of such sha e or configuration that it is securely hel in position 'y the overlap ing edges of the central portion ofthe sl i ell of the ear, an extension furnished with a sound passage entering simultaneously the orifice of the auditory conduct. In this manner the attachment is rendered extremely secure .and owing to the elasticity of the holding parts of the ear shell the pressure of the apparatus is so distributed that no disagreea e sensation is caused in the car.

A further notable feature of our invention is the construction of the holder of two or more different parts, which are mutually I connected and maybe adjusted and fixed in any desired position in relation to each other. This is ve' advantageous as it becomes possible to a d iust an holder to the different rm and. s z 0 h ea h an s n- Application tiled December SG, 1924, Serial No. 758,245, and in Germany Janua y 7, 1924.

10y the same holder for the right or the eft car as maybe required. Henceforth it is according to our invention only necessary is showmin the accompanying drawing in 'WhlCh Figures 1 and 2 show a holder adapted for the rightand the left ear respectively.

Figures 3 and 4 show the same holder seen from above and adjusted for the right and the left ear respectively.

Figure 5 shows on an enlarged scale a partial section through a modified form of the connection between parts of the holder.

The improved holder is preferably moulded or pressed from vulcanite or a similar material and is provided with an extension 1 which is inserted into the orifice of the meatus or auditory conduct and is provided with a sound passage 2. 3 denotes a profiled surface in the central part of which the edge of a-slotted metal sleeve 5 is visible, which is located in the 'sound passage and to which the telephone is to be fastened. The telehone proper in the form of a cylindrical odv 9 is indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 2. It has been omitted from Fig. 1 so as not to unnecessarily obscure the important elements of the invention. The element 9 is meant to designate the entire telephone re-' ceiver, which in this case comprises a socalled miniature receiver, of which various types are known in the art. The wire connection leading from the miscrophone to element 9 and the microphone itself are not shownhere; being immaterial to the subject matter claimed in this application. Casing 9 may also represent any other sound supplying means, such as the end,portion of a speaking tube or the like-"is is pointed out at the beginning. The other part 6' of the device is formed to adapt itself to the in.

terior of the ear shell shown .in dotted lines in Fig. 1. The upper end of this bowor wing-sha ed art 1s formed so -as,to fit between an un er the helix and the antihelix whereas the lower end of this element is formed so as to engage under the antitragus. The two parts of the'holder are rotatably connected by means of a pin shaft 7 which is inserted in inclined position into the edge of the main art 3 and which assumes a horizontal position when the device is used.

In accordance with' the Figures 1-4: pin shaft 7 is securely fastened in the conical part of the holder and the how 6 is loosely pivoted on the said shaft. The position of the bow part in relation to the shaft is secured byv means. of a screw 8, which is screwed into the shaft 7 and the head 8 of which is visible on the outer part of the bow 6.

By holding the how 6 and turning the conical piece 1 on the shaft 7 the holder may be brought from a position (Figs. 1 or 3) in which it fits the right car into a position (Figs. 2 or 4) in which it fits the left ear.

The surface 3 is profiled in correspondence with the ear-ward pointin diaphragm end of the telephone casing Wl'llCh the telephone is attached to the holder. If the casing surface at that end is straight or plane, so would be the. surface 3 of the holder, and if the one of. the two surfaces is covex, the other is concave and vice versa so that both surfaces may join tightly. Furthermore the joining of said surfaces and the fastening of the telephone to the device here shown is attained for instance by making the hole in the telephone casing near the diaphragm, and through which the sound emanates slightly smaller in diameter than the outside diameter of the slotted sleeve 5, so that when the telephone casing is pushed over sleeve 5 the slotted portions of the latter yield inwardly and thus press against the walls of the hole in the casing with sufiicient pressure to frictionally hold the telephone in place. of the telephone are communicated then through the hollow slotted sleeve 5 and the passage 2 to the auricle.

According to the constructional form of the connection of the conical and the bowshaped parts of the holder shown in Fig. 5 a metal sleeve 10 is inserted into the conical part and the bow 6 is rotatably connected to the cone by means of a threaded pin 11.

By setting the pin 11 forcibly the two parts of the holder will become rigidl connected to each other, so that the holder may be delivered to a patient adjusted for his ear and ready for use, whereby the patient is spared the inconvenience and trouble of adas examples. The device may be designed v in many other ways within the scope of the invention.

\Vhat we claim as our invention and desire to secure, by. Letters Patent is l. A holder for ear telephones,.listening The sound vibrations tubes or similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consistingof asupporting element ada ted to be inserted within the antihelix an antitragus andto fit the interior of the shell of the car, so as to be held in position by the overlapping edges of said portions of the shell above and below the orifice of the meatus, and a sound conducting element attached to said supporting element and containing a sound passage and being shaped at its inner end to fit the orifice of the meatus.

2. A holder for ear telephones, listening tubes or similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consisting of a supporting element adapted to be inserted within the antihelix and antitragus and to fit the interior of the shell of the ear, so as to be held in position by'the overlapping edges of said portions of the shell above and below the orifice of the meatus, and a sound conducting element adjustably attached to said supporting element and containing a sound passage and being shaped at its inner end to fit the orifice of the meatus.

3. A holder for ear telephones, listening tubes or similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consisting of a supporting element adapted tobe inserted within the antihelix and antitragus and to fit the interior of the shell of the ear, so as to be held in position by the overlapping edges of said portions of the shell above and below the orifice of the meatus, and a sound conducting element attached to said supporting element and containing a sound passage and being shaped at its inner end to fit the orifice of the meatus, said sound conducting element having means for holding the sound supplying device.

4. A holder for ear telephones, listening tubes or similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consisting of a supporting element adapted to be inserted within the antihelixand antitragus and to fit the interior of the shell of the car, so as to be held in position by the overlapping edges of said portions of the shell above and below the orifice of the meatus, and a sound conducting element adjustably attached to said supporting element and containing a sound passage and being shaped at its inner end to fit the orifice of the meatus, said sound conducting element having an outer surface extending substantially in parallel to the side of the wearers head and being suitably contoured to fit the contour of the adjacent portion of the sound supplying device attached to saidv conducting element.

5. A holder for ear'telephones, listening tubes or similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consisting of a supporting element adapted to be inserted within the antihelix and antitragus and to fit the a sound passage and'being shaped at its in-' ner end to fit the orifice of the meatus, said sound conducting element having means for holding the sound supplying device.

6. A' holder for ear telephones, listening tubes and similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consisting of a supporting element adapted to fit the interior of the shell of the ear so as-to be held in position by the overlapping edges of the central portion of the said shell above and below the orifice of the meatus and of a sound conducting element containing a sound passage and adapted to fit the orifice of the meatus, said elements being joined and movable in relation to each other in such a manner that vthey may assume two positions symmetrically to the meridian plane of the head 7. "A holder for ear telephones, listening tubes and similar sound supplying devices for improving the hearing, consisting of a supportin element adapted to fit the interior of t e shell of the ear so as to be held in position by the overlapping edges of the central ortion of the said shell above and below tie orifice of the meatus and of a sound conducting element containing a sound passage and adapted to fit the orifice of the'meatus, said elements having a pivotal shaft adjustably interconnecting them, said shaft 1 ing parallel to the meridian plane of the ead.

8. A holder for ear telephones, listening tubes and similar sound supplying devices -for improving the hearing, consisting of a supporting element adapted to fit the interior of the shell of the car soas to be held in position by the overlap ing edges of the central portion of the said shell above and below the orifice of the meatus and a sound conducting element containing a sound passage and adapted to fit the orifice of the meatus, said elements being movably joined to each other and means for rigidly locking said elements to each other in the desired I elative position.

. In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures.

BERNHARD LANGENBEGK. ARTUR MERTEN. v 

